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People's Republic of China
Introduction The People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国'' (''Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó)), also simply known as China, is a sovereign state and one of the world superpowers. In Contra, the country appears as a new superpower temporary replacing the USA. China is considered as the "Protagonist Faction" alongside the USA. History Long, chaotic foundation China is one of the oldest countries/civilizations in the world (historically 4000 years old, but culturally 5000 years old). At the very first years of its existence, the nation is quite like most nations' "childhood": traces of early human settlements (Paleolithic Age, according to the discovery of the Peking Man), a first civilization of its own (Hwang Ho civilization during the Neolithic Age) and early kingdoms (Xia (夏) and Shang (商/殷) dynasties). In the Iron Age, the Shang Dynasty was followed by the Zhou (周) Dynasty and lasted until approximately 256 BC, when Spring and Autumn Period (春秋时代) was followed by Warring States Period (战国时代) in which Zhou faced decentralization and more states formed such as Qin (秦), Han (韓), Wei (魏), Zhao (趙), Qi (齊), Chu (楚), Yan (燕), Yue (越), Zhongshan (中山), Sichuan States, Song (宋), Lu (魯), Zheng (鄭), Wey (衛), Teng (滕) and Zou (邹). Eventually, the Qin Dynasty unified all of the Chinese civilizations through conquering all of the other states and became a hegemony at that time. Qin was then replaced by Han (汉) Dynasty and then by Xin (新) Dynasty (although Emperor Guangwu reinstalled Han into Eastern Han). However, as Eastern Han fell, the Yellow Turban Rebellion (黃巾之亂) happened, resulting in the nation entering in the Three Kingdoms Period (三国时代), where Shu Han (蜀汉), Dong/Sun Wu (东/孙吴) and Cao Wei (曹魏) competed each other for dominance. In the end, the Jin (晉) Dynasty overthrew Wei and unified them all for a short time in the southern part China but the northern parts plunged into warlordism as five Liangs (凉), four Yans, Three Qin, Two Zhao, Cheng Han (成汉) and Hu Xia (胡夏) fought against each other. At the very end, only Northern Wei (北魏), Northern Qi (北秦) and Northern Zhou (北周) remained in Northern China, while Liu Song (刘宋), Southern Qi (南齐), Liang (梁) and Chen (陈) remained in Southern China. Eventually, the Southern States became Sui (隋) Dynasty followed by the Tang (唐) Dynasty (it is said that Northern China collapsed and was eventually conquered during the Tang Dynasty). Unfortunately, China experienced yet another collapse: The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, where Liang, Tang, Jin, Han and Zhou appeared again but Song eventually reunited all of them again. Then, the Song Dynasty experienced relatively peaceful times, its inventions became the golden age of great advancements in science and technology in China. When the Mongols invaded China, the Yuan (元) Dynasty was formed by Kublai Khan, one of Genghis Khan's grandsons. Then, the Ming (明) Dynasty replaced Yuan and Ming was replaced by the Qing (清) Dynasty, the last Imperial Dynasty. Painful past and long sufferings In all of a sudden, China's "Lucky Charm of Unification and Peace" worn down (just like what happened to Japan) after thousands of years thanks to the Yellow Peril brought by the Kaiser of Germany and widespread imperialism, a phenomenon that China never experienced or did to other states. First the Qing was defeated in the First Opium War by the British when they demanded Great Britain to stop importing opium, then a series of defeats in various warfares (Second Opium War/Sino-French War/First Sino-Japanese War), the Old Summer Palace was sacked by the British and the French and Tibet was lost to the British. When Qing formed the Boxer Rebellion to counter such threats (including the still-controversial pastor and Christian murder events), the Eight-Nation Alliance suppressed it and took the opportunity to split China. During World War I, Japan invaded Manchuria and when China was defeated, it had to fulfil Japan's Twenty One Demands. Finally, Japan conquered China in World War II. This event, known as the Century of Humiliation (百年国耻), caused China to decline. Many Chinese people were forced to migrate to various countries as a result. On March 12th 1912, Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙/孙中山) founded the Republic of China but he turned power to Yuan Shikai (袁世凱) who then tried to recreate the Empire of China as a self-proclaimed Emperor. When Yuan died, a Warlord Era (民国军阀) started when many regions became military cliques. In 1919, the May Fourth Movement began as a response to the pro-Japanese terms imposed on China by the Treaty of Versailles following World War I. It quickly became a nationwide protest movement. The protests were a moral success as the Cabinet fell and China refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles. In the 1920s, Sun Yat-sen established a revolutionary base in Guangzhou and set out to unite the fragmented nation. He welcomed assistance from the newly formed Soviet Union and entered into an alliance with the fledgling Communist Party of China (中国共产党). After Sun's died of a cancer in 1925, one of his protégés, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正/蔣介石), seized control of the Nationalist Party/Kuomingtang (国民党) and succeeded in bringing most of South and Central China under its rule in the Northern Expedition. Originally both CCP and KMT formed an alliance, but they eventually broke down to a civil war with the CCP under the leadership of Mao Zedong/Mao Tse-tung (毛泽东), who appears as the victor. Fatal mistakes,Vengeance and Rise When the CCP took control, Mao implemented various campaigns and five year plans such as the Great Leap Forward (大跃进) and the Cultural Revolution (文革). The "reset" ended up in more deaths and suffering for the Chinese people (although Mao was credited to root out opposition that forms the China we know today). When Mao died, Deng Xiao Ping (邓小平) as the de-facto Premier under Hua Guofeng (华国锋), made reforms on politics, economy and social. During the Cold War, China gave support to Northern Vietnam and North Korea in a bid to push western powers away from the country as much as it could. Eventually, China initiated the "Open Door Policy", which caused China to move into state capitalism and started to become the "World's Factory", despite some disputed Human Rights events such as the Tian'anmen Massacre and the Persecution of Falun Gong. Nonetheless, China grew itself stronger and stronger, and now the nation is at the verge of being a superpower.... Generals & Zero Hour Timeline (First War against the GLA) In the 21st century, the Chinese government introduced reforms to the "Modern Way" (现代之路) program which increased civil liberties and improved the volume of exports, especially in light manufactured and agricultural goods. These developments put the country in conflict with the Global Liberation Army which began promoting separatism in Western China. During this time, relations with the United States cooled after a US operation to thwart a terrorist attack on a Chinese facility went awry and resulted in the destruction of the White Dragon fighter jet's prototype, the Iron Dragon. As the situation deteriorated, the GLA raided a Chinese military depot in Yecheng and destroyed a nuclear power plant. The Red Army divisions deployed to Xinjiang along major roadways and rivers. China refused to allow observers to mediate discussions with the GLA. The US continued to maintain a policy of non-involvement despite calls by the United Nations to actively support China in containing the GLA. The crisis came to a climax when multiple GLA cells struck across the country, first with an attack on a military parade at Beijing (in which General Bao was involved) with a nuclear bomb-carrying truck. The Chinese held off the opening offensive, going so far as to destroy the Three Gorges Dam to stall the enemy, before counter-attacking into Aldastan with US military support. The cell coordinating GLA activity in the Asian-Pacific region was located in Dushanbe and the Red Army moved in with nuclear weapons and removed it. Their defeat in China did not affect the GLA's hold on strongholds and influence in neighboring Kazakhstan and the Middle East. Attempts by Chinese and US forces to root them out were continually frustrated. China attempted to promote a schism within the GLA by arming a splinter cell with nuclear weapons, but this backfired when the weapons were captured by the GLA and used to destroy the splinter cell. The Baikonur Cosmodrome was taken by the GLA despite a joint Chinese and US garrison. The GLA shifted its attacks directly against the United States. The US was forced to deal with a rogue Chinese general with nuclear weapons who has joined the GLA. The Chinese seconded forces for the assault on GLA capital in Akmola. By this time, Chinese prestige was on the rise and had allowed military outposts and bases to be established as far as Europe. China and the USA pushed their advantage as the GLA fractured. The US retook the Baikonur Cosmodrome after a failed Chinese attempt to do so, and managed to remove "Dr. Thrax". However, regrouping GLA factions struck unexpected blows against the United States in Europe and in North America. The GLA commandeered Chinese munitions to overrun the US base in Stuttgart-Vichingen, Germany. This hastened the US withdrawal from Europe to strengthen homeland defense. The GLA celebrations were premature. The Chinese could neither allow a GLA resurgence with captured advanced munitions, nor leave unanswered the embarrassment caused by the GLA's use of captured Chinese weapons. The former US Stuttgart-Vichingen base was promptly destroyed by nuclear weapons and compelled the GLA to go underground. Despite heightened internal security, the GLA managed to launch a failed attack on the country's nuclear weapons production facility. The Europeans tasked China with removing the GLA from their countries. In the meantime, the Chinese UN Representative assured the United Nations that it regretted the use of nuclear weapons and that it would exercise restraint in their use. Despite the situation, the United States continued to abandon their European bases, allowing the GLA to capture some. The crisis was resolved when the final GLA stronghold in Hamburg was destroyed. The Europeans accepted a Chinese proposal for a new economic and military alliance. The Eurasian Unity League effectively replaced NATO. Contra Timeline (Second War against the GLA) After ten years of peace and the establishment of a Sino-European cooperation, the GLA rose again in 2023 and conducted more attacks around the world. China, being experienced in defeating the GLA, led the effort to banish the GLA once again despite being not backed by the USA at first. But the USA unexpectedly reappeared on the international stage, which surprised the Chinese nation who thought the USA declined into a "Dark Age". To truly rid the nuisance to humanity that the GLA was considered as, China agreed to ditch their past conflicts and resume the US-China Alliance. However, some Chinese officials do not welcome the idea, especially Tao. Only time will tell whether it will work or not... Current Internal Affairs (Contra Timeline) A new Golden Age For ten years, China seemed not to change drastically compared to the USA: people still live in modern houses and apartment rooms with the same modern equipment. They still use fuel-based vehicles for transportation but said vehicles now emit less CO2 either through the use of high efficiency filters for petrol engines or less polluting alternative sources as fuel, considering how rarer and more expensive petrol is getting. Due to an extensive poverty eradication program, almost all Chinese citizens have a minimal wage of 2000 Yuan (or 286$). Villages are still a common sight in the outskirts of cities but they are flourishing with large scale farming and resources production. China is also widely recognized as one of the safest countries thanks to its large CCTV network connected to police stations. The nation still has versatile public transport systems such as high-speed rails, buses, taxis and many more. A.I. has been used for assistance in various jobs as a customer UI in service sectors for higher efficiency that somehow managed to let China have an all-time low unemployment rate. Homelessness is solved by large-scale social housing that still meets the standards of an apartment. China's advancement in human cloning under Shin Fai's monitoring gave birth to organ cloning, where stem cells are used to create many organs that can be used to replace failed organs in a patient's body, resulting in the nation being able to receive a steady amount of organs for transplant in a short time (this, however, is an expensive process and few people can actually afford it). Nuclear power plants took over coal power plants as a means of electric supply to reduce environmental pollution. China also heavily invested in IT and Internet industry, especially on domestic software, thus allowing the nation to emerge as one of the main developers in software engineering. China still has its manufacturing sector running smoothly, producing many goods for domestic use and for other countries. Security is quite a big issue since Beijing was nuked back in 2013: there are many "search stations" in public places where policemen will check anyone wanting to enter said places with metal detectors and X-ray machines. PLA infantrymen also can be seen patrolling in the streets, sometimes with AT and MG Patria Troop Crawlers. When there is a big event, the PLA stations its troops alongside avenues with more Troop Crawlers and, if needed, Battlemasters or other powerful vehicles (once, a Guan Yu-class tank and a fully-loaded Suan Ni transport vehicle were seen patrolling around Tian'anmen Square during China's National Day Parade so that they could crush any terrorists trying to ruin the event). China still has its "Teach to the Test" styled education system. However, there are vocational schools so that those who failed in College Entrance Examination could become skilled workers. Many jobs are quite much like they were back in the 2010s. However, engineers and mathematicians increased in number since China became the new world superpower. Furthermore, China still has its "Great Firewall of China" to block out "anti-China sentiment" but some popular social media sites are unblocked. In Xinjiang, security has been ramped up by the PLA to make sure no one will join the GLA's cause with a garrison built within the country and more surveillance cameras are installed in public places despite international criticism. Current internal problems However, China does have its share of problems. There is a wave of dissatisfaction from people who are studying and working under so much pressure and stress that the government had to set a labour time no longer than 12 hours per day, include a mandatory one day weekend rest and ban schooling after 6:30 pm. Besides, China has random smog pollution issues in its cities where smoke covers a city for an average duration of 5 days. Also, after the USA reappeared on the international stage, the Yuan's value became a bit unstable as other nations decided to use US Dollars and Yuan together, some of these nations even decided to ditch the Yuan for the USD, causing prices to rise and fall unpredictably. Despite the rapid development in infrastructure, many ancient buildings and historical sites remain standing. Chinese millenary culture and philosophy are still strongly rooted in the country. If the USA represents the future of Mankind, then China is turning into its museum as it is knowing a Golden Age. Military Doctrine and Technology The Chinese military - the People's Liberation Army, or PLA - prides itself on its heavy firepower. A Chinese offensive tends to take on the nature of a slow-moving juggernaut, with the PLA employing heavy weaponry and sheer numbers to overwhelm its foes. The Chinese heavily employ propaganda on the battlefield to inspire their soldiers, and China's numerous troops defend the homeland with a nationalistic zeal not seen anywhere else. China prefers to use tried-and-tested weapons, although they are by no means as antiquated as those used by the GLA. While being able to mobilize a large number of basic units quickly, China's main strengths have been demonstrated in the more advanced units that can only be deployed once a battle has been under way for some time. The PLA military doctrine emphasizes direct assault with massive numbers using heavy, slow units. This means that the PLA is suited for long, drawn-out battles of attrition. Chinese infantry, like most Chinese units, gains bonuses when fighting en masse. They employ the cheap Red Guards, Tank Hunters, Hackers and the Elite spy Black Lotus. The Infantry General is known for deploying more well trained infantry such as the Minigunner. Not as technologically advanced as the American forces and not as fast as their GLA enemies, the Chinese tend to use large vehicles and superior firepower to overwhelm the opponent. This is epitomized in the technologically advanced Overlord tank, a dual-cannon behemoth capable of literally rolling over other vehicles. They also use units like the Battlemaster tank, which are moderate cost, impressively armored and armed, these tanks are also very good when used en masse. Chinese forces extensively use tactical nuclear weaponry, napalm and flamethrowers, which also symbolize the great firepower that is China's trademark. Chinese air power however is limited when compared to the US. Their primary fighter aircraft is the MiG, which can be used in both air and ground attack roles. The Helix is also used as a ground support and transport helicopter. One area in which the Chinese forces are weak is in intelligence. Unlike the USA or the GLA, China has limited battlefield surveillance ability and is forced to rely on Satellite Hacking. Its lack of fast units, with the exception of its air force, also makes scouting unknown terrain difficult and makes them exceptionally vulnerable to hit-and-run attacks. In Contra's Timeline, modern technology in China has reached its maximum potential including bigger tanks, human cloning and more powerful nuclear weapons. The addition of the Flame General also gave birth to Flame-based weapons that can leave areal damage for a long time. Some technologies wielded by China: Advanced Artillery and Siege Units * The majority of artillery units fielded by the Chinese are shell based, meaning that Laser Defence Turrets, Laser Avengers or SLIDs cannot intercept them. China also have access to some of the most devastating artillery units in the conflict, such as the Nuke Cannon or the A-100 MLRS. Electronic Countermeasures * Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) play an important support role of the PLA. ECM can not only disable enemy vehicles, leaving them sitting ducks for the Chinese forces to pick off; but also be used to jam the guidance systems of enemy missiles, causing them to miss their mark and reduces casualties for China's armored forces. The most common forms of application of ECM technology are the ECM Tank and the ECM Trooper, but general Kwai has gone one-step further and created the Banshee. Some Chinese Generals have opted to outfit ECM devices on their Ka-29 Helix helicopters. Gatling Cannons * These powerful, high caliber rotary autocannons can easily shred apart infantries, light vehicles and aircrafts. The greatest contributor to this technology is no doubt General Shin Fai, who has managed to create Gatling Cannons compacted enough to be wielded by single infantries. Some say that he has also managed to develop a prototype Gatling artillery vehicle. Satellite Hacking * PLA's Cyber Warfare Unit enables it to get access to surveillance satellites.This allows Chinese Generals to hack to enemy satellite communications and obtain information on their whereabouts from the locations of their Command Center to all of their troop movements in the region. Internet Hacking * The PLA has employed a large number of hackers, their task is to assist the Chinese in gathering intel and funds for the war effort. General Fai has employed a team of elite, sneaky Super Hackers who are trained personally by Black Lotus operatives, and are capable of shutting down enemy vehicles by hacking into their onboard computers and communication devices. Propaganda Usage * The PLA also uses propaganda to increase the men's morale. Speaker Towers playing propaganda speeches are used to motivate the men to continue their battle despite difficult situations. Propaganda Towers are also installed in various vehicles, further fuelling the will of PLA men to keep fighting. Electro-Magnetic Pulse Bombs * EMPs are used to cripple enemy key positions and defenses so that the PLA could have easier time to finish them off. EMP Weapons of the PLA come in the form of gravity bombs. A bomber will drop an EMP Bomb on a target to disable all electronics within its blast radius. Some generals like Kwai and Bao have magnetic bombs to disable vehicles and deflect missiles. Advanced Tank technology * The PLA's main proponent of its military is in fact tanks. Thanks to the abundant resources in China, the PLA is able to manufacture a lot of tanks with multiple variations to steamroll any opposing forces easily. Besides, PLA's Tanks are one of the strongest tanks in the world such as Battlemasters or Warmasters that have higher survibility than other MBTs, Overlords, Immolators or Emperors that can blow up a tank easily and Guan Yu that can level a base by itself. Cheap infantry * The cheap labour cost in China means that the PLA can enlist or conscript abled-bodied men as its infantrymen. Fai is said to have a secret cloning facility to produce equally strong men from the best soldiers available to completely remove conscription and reduce costs. Nuclear Power * As fossil fuels are growing scarce, China has to find an alternative to the resources they rely on for centuries. Eventually, nuclear power emerged as the main alternative resource as it is cheap, easy and readily available. All Chinese Generals use Nuclear Power Plants to generate power for their buildings. Tao also has a better Nuclear Power Plant that generates more power for his power-hungry superweapons. Nuclear Weaponry * As the PLA's nuclear power develops, so does nuclear weaponry. Since the GLA nuked Beijing, the PLA is authorized to use tactical nuclear weapons with no limitations. One of the best examples is that almost all Chinese Generals have Nuclear Missiles as staple superweapon. Kwai has depleted uranium shells for his tanks to inflict more damage as well as picking off infantry. Tao however has utilized this weapon on almost every unit of his: Red Guards that fire mini nuclear warheads, Nuclear Tank Hunters that have rockets tipped with nuclear warheads, Battlemasters or Overlords that fire AT nuclear shells, Irradiators that fire a nuclear blast and Yan Wangs that shoot out tactical nuclear VLBMs. Of course, he also has a 3 or 5 warheaded MIRV Nuclear Missile, a giant platform capable of launching a missile volley and a device that can destroy everything in a very wide range. Advanced base defense (All except Tao but more sophisticated for Bao) * PLA's military doctrine also focuses on versatility. Gatling Cannons are mostly used for anti-infantry and aircraft purposes but with mass deployment, any type of threat can be negated. The PLA also makes use of Bunkers to allow infantrymen to provide defense support. Bao however has the most advanced defense system of the PLA as he has Vortex Cannons that deal more damage and Flamethrower Turrets that can carry out defensive ambushes. Electromagnetic Countermeasure Kits (All but more sophisticated for Kwai and Fai) *The PLA sometimes relies on ECMs to delay enemy assaults or deal with units that are more powerful/faster than theirs. The common usage is the ECM Tank, which is used to jam enemy vehicles so that other units can destroy it safely. Kwai developed a medium tank that could also do the same thing but can affect two targets at once. Fai also has trained his clones to use a handheld ECM to disable vehicles, further crippling enemy offensive operations in numbers. Gatling Cannons * Gatling Cannons are staple defensive structures of the PLA. Despite the fact that it isn't really good on dealing damage to armoured vehicles, the fact that the tower can pick anything from air to ground makes them a really versatile weapon. They also can be seen as an add-on to some vehicles. Neutron Bombs * Almost all Chinese Generals use Neutron Bombs to clean out incoming masses of infantry or vehicles. An infantry horde can be cleaned instantly while vehicles will be depiloted, leaving a clean vehicle for PLA infantrymen to use. * Advanced Engines (Kwai) * Reinforced Armour (Kwai) * Seismic Explosives (Kwai) * Large-scale Production Sets (Kwai) * Human cloning (Fai) * Mass-produced Infantry Weaponry (Fai) * Miniaturization techniques (Fai) * Radiation-based weaponry (Tao) * Radiation containment (Tao) * Radioisotope production (Tao) * Portable Ballistic Missiles (Tao) * Particle Physics (Tao, still in infancy) * Thermobaric Mixtures (Bao) * Heat Vortex Generators (Bao) * Satellite Weaponry (Bao, same as USA's counterpart) * Heat-resistant Armoury (Bao) Note: Leang's Technology is the hodgepodge of all of the Chinese Generals. Notable members * Ta Hun Kwai: Tank General * Tsing Shi Tao: Nuclear Weapons (aka Nuke) General * Shin Fai: Infantry General * Huang Lin Bao: Incendiary Weapons (aka Flame) General * Leiong Leang: PLA's Class AAAA Dragon General (unplayable; appears as Boss level enemy in Challenge mode) * Black Lotus: China's main terrain agent (hero unit) * Lin Zhong: Comms Officer (announcer) Trivia * China's "age" is mostly determined as about 4000 years, however culturally, the Han Chinese believe that they are 5000 years old as evidenced on the Chinese term 中华五千年 (lit. meaning: The Five-Thousand Years of Zhong Hua/Middle Beauty/China/Chinese Civilization). But mostly people will assume China's Age is between 4000-5000 years. * The Century of Humiliation is probably the reason why China selected Communism in the first place aside from similarities with it own culture and the fact that the red colour as a symbol for Communism is Han Chinese's favourite colour, another major reason is the outright incompetence and corruption of the KMT which resulted in severe inflation and near collapse of the Chinese economy. This is also another reason China is a bit reluctant in trusting Western Countries and having a never-ending love-hate relationship with Japan. * Some people argue that China is not communist: they are more of a hybrid autocratic-meritocracy type. * The US-China Alliance in Contra's timeline might not happen in real life due to an ongoing trade war between both nations. Category:Faction